August 11, 2007

Since someone asked so nicely, here's more information about Gabibbo, the ever-present Barney-like creature that appears on numerous Italian TV shows. When Laura was here, we were waiting on our pizza at the place around the corner, and the TV was showing a program called Cultura Moderna. As far as I can tell, this show is basically Italy's Got Talent. Inexplicably, Gabibbo is featured prominently in every episode and dances with the contestants at the end. Apparently he is officially the mascot of the TV channel Canale 5, and he talks and makes jokes - all with a funny, regional dialect (gabibbu is slang for "foreigner"). In 2004, Mediaset, the company that controls Canale 5, got bad press because Western KY U claims they ripped off their mascot, Big Red. Here's a great video that shows just how creepy and weird Gabibbo is, dancing to what sounds like his theme song.

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is a bioarchaeologist and assistant professor at the University of West Florida. This is her personal blog about archaeology, bioanthropology, and the classical world. Follow her on Twitter (@DrKillgrove) or G+, or follow PbO on Facebook.